Clutch.



W. h. ['v'iURSCH.

CLUTCH.

APPLlCATlON HLED JUNEZE. r914.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

FEG.3

WITNESSES INVENTOR Bill V menses.

* snares rarfEi T Flt-limo WILLIAM H. nurses, or swrssvam, rnunsrnvanm,Assrcuoa v'ro run UNION *swrrcn a simmer. cement, or swrssvama,rnnusrtvsma, a oonronarron or rnnnsiznvfarita.

fipeclaficat'ion of Letters Eatent.

cnuro'ia.

Patented Apr. 6; i935.

r utation filed Zl'uile so, rare. Ben'al 180.9%,402.

ill; cllfibliom it may concern:

Be it imam that l, Wmsraai H. Mussels, a citizen of the United Statesresiding at .l ilwissvole, in the county of Allegheny and I willdescribe one form of clutch emu-- hodying any invention and will thenpoint out the novel features thereof in claims.

Zln the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view showing one form ofclutch emloodying my inventiom the parts losing shown in the disengagingposition. Fig. '2 is a sectional view on the line lilill of Fig. l,looking in the direction of the arrows.

. Fig. '3 is a view on the line lllllllll of Fig.

'2. 4: is a view similar to Fig. l, but showing the parts of the clutchin the engaging" position. Fig. 5 1s a sectional view on the line VV ofFig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of theviews.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the clutch comprises drum or shell 12,which is rigidly secured to a rotatahle shaft'lli hy a pin 1 will assumethat this shaft rotates constantly in the direction indicated hy thearrow in l. A clutch plate 8 is located within the drum 12 and issecured to. a shaft 9 hp means of a pin 10. The periphery of clutchplate 6 is provided with a plurality o2? -triangular notches 16 in eachof which is located a roller 1. Finch roller is acted upon hy a spring 2which is seated in a hole in the clutch plate and which tends to forcethe roller outwardly so that it will wedge between the clutch plate 6and the drum l2 and thus clutch the two together. To disengage theclutch there is provided a disk 8, loosely mounted on the hub 6 ofclutch plate 6 and carrying a number of projecting pins l, which areadapted to force the rollers out of wedging positions. The clutch iscontrolled Toy a pawl 3 which in turn isopcrated by a magnet 18 and anart it. fixed in pawl is a cam pin a (see Fig. 5) which pin passesthrough a hole 13 -in the clutch disk 8, and is held in place by acollar 20. One end of cam pin 4- is cut away on a longitudinal planepassing through the axis of the pin,'thus forming a plane surface 5'which coacts with a radial surface 19 on plate '6 in a mannerhereinafter explained.

lln Fig. 4, the arm 17 is drawn by magnet 18 out of the path of pawl 3so that the latter is unrestrained. 'lhe springs 2, acting through therollers l, have moved the ins and disk 8 with relation to plate 6 sothat the surface 5 of cam pin 4 is fiat on the radial surface 19 onplate 6. 'llhe pins 7 are then so far advanced in the notches 16 thatthe rollers l are in wcdging position, so that the plate 6 is caused torotate with drum l2. 'llhe disk 8 obviously rotates also.

When now magnet 18 is deenengized, arm 17 will be drawn hyspring 21 intothe path of pawl'3, and when the pawl is arrested by this arm it will heswung in an are around the axis of pin 4 because of the momentum of disk8. This swing of the pawl and of pin 4 causes the latter to swing aroundthe edge 5 as an axis, thereby moving the disk 8 in such direction withrelation to the plate G'that the pins more the rollers 1 out of wedgingposition, thereby disengaging the of the rollers and consequentcompression of springs 2 is assisted lay the momentum of plate 6, and infact the momentum of this plate is absorbed by the compression of thesesprings. Tncparts of the clutch then are in the positions in which theyare shown in Fig. 1. During the disengagement of the clutch as justexplrained it will he seen that while the pawl 3 swings through aconsideralole angle, there is a comparatively small movement of the disk8 relative to plate 6, this heing due to the relation between the radiusof pin t and the distance from the axis of this pin to the lip 23 of thepawl. The disengagement of the clutch is. therefore, gradual and withoutshock. During the process of disengagement, the springs 9; arecompressed. and since these springs are 'naountcd in clutch plate 6. thereaction of the springs against rollers 1 and pins 7 tends to cause theplate 6 to rotate in the reverse direction. To check this reverserotagaged by a pawl 23 due to the action of a spring 24. The pawl 23 isso adjusted as to engage the tooth of the-ratchet at the point at whichthe energy of the rotating parts has been absorbed by the springs '2.While the clutch is disengaged, therefore, the ;springs 2 are held undercompression by ratchet 22, so that when pawl 3 is again released therollers 1' are driven into wedging position by these springswithconsiderable force so that the engagement of. the clutch is quick andpositive. 4

Owing to the relation pointed out hereinbefore between the radius of pin4 andthe radius from the axis of this pin to the lip 3, a comparativelysmall force on the lip 3 will exert a comparatively great force on theplate 6 and, therefore, on the springs 2. For this reason I am enabledto make the springs 2 comparatively powerful and yet to control them bya comparatively small pressure on lip3, that is, by-using a magnet 18which consumes a comparatively small amount of energy. A furtheradvantage is that the pawl 3 can be made very small, so that the forceof inertia-to be overcome by the springs to engage the clutch is veryslight. By using powerful springs 2,

I insure quick and positive engagement of the clutch as pointed outhereinbefore.

Clutches embodying my invention are particularly well adapted for use inprinting telegraph apparatus. such for example as in receivers of thetype shown and described in an application filed by Lloyd V. Lewis inthe United States Patent Office on I April 16, 1914, Serial-No; 832,252,although clutches embodying my invention "are not limited to thisparticular,adaptation; v- Although; I have-shown and desc only one formof clutoh embodyingmy. in -,vention, it is understood that variouschanges and modifications maybe made" therein within the scope ofthe-appendedclaims without departing from the spirit and scope of myinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: i

1. A clutch comprising two concentrically mounted rotatable member's,one =of said members having "recesses in the surface adjacent the othermember said recesses forming wedge-shapedopenings between the contiguoussurfaces of said members, locking members located in said wedge-shapedopenings, springs attached toone rotatable mem-.

her for biasing said locking members .into

wedging positions between the two rotatable members, a third rotatablemember having projections adapted to drive the locking members outof'wedging positions against the action of said'spri-ngs, and a leverdevice for causing suiiicient relative movement of said third rotatablemember and of the rotatabl'e member to which and springs are attached tomove the locking membersout of locking position.

L 2. A clutch comprising two concentrically mounted rotatable members,one of. said 1 having projections adapted to drive the locking membersout of wedging positions against the action of said springs,

a lever device for causing suflicient relatire movement of said thirdrotatable member and of the rotatable member to which said springs areattached to move the locking members out of locking position, and meansfor preventing rebound of the rotatable member to which the springs areattached.

3. A clutch comprising a drum, a plate located within the drumandmovable with relation thereto and having recesses in its periphery,locking memberslocated in said recesses, springs fixed to said plate andadapted to press said locking members into wedging positions between theplate and the drum, a disk mounted to rotate with relation to the plate,said disk having projections adapted to force the locking members out ofwedging positions, a cam pin journaled in said disk and adapted to shiftthe disk with respect to the plate, a pawl fixed to said cam pin andprojecting therefrom, ,and a member movable into and out of the path ofsaid pawl. i v 1 4; A clutch comprising a drum, a plate" flocated withinthe drum and movable with "relation thereto and having recesses in. itsperiphery, locking members located in said recesses, springs fixed tosaid 'plate and adapted to press said locking members into wed 'ngpositions between the plate and the rum, a disk mounted to rotate withrelation to the plate, said disk havingprojections adapted to force thelocking members outof wedging positions, a cam pin journaled in saiddisk andhaving a substantially plane surface parallel tothegaxis of thepin, said plate havinga substantially radial surface adapted f to .coactwiththe planesurface on .thecam-pin, a pawl fixed to the said cam pin'and; projecting therefrom, and a member movable into and out of the pathof said pawl. I

5. A clutch comprising a drum, a'plate located within the drumandmovable with relation thereto and having recesses inits periphery,locking members located in said recesses, springs fixed to said plateand adapted to press said locking members into journaled in said diskand adapted to shift the disk with respect tothe late, a awl fixed tosaid cam pin and promoting t erefrom, a member movable into and out ofthe path of said pawl, the efi'ective radius of said pawl being greaterthan the efiective radius of said cam pin whereby a comparatively slightforce exerted by said movable member on the pawl causes the exertion ofa considerable force on said springs.

6. A clutch comprisin two concentrically mounted rotatable mem ers, oneof which rotates constantly and the other of which is to beintermittently connected therewith, the latter member having recesses inthe surface adjacent the other member which recesses form wedge-shapedopenings between the contiguous surfaces of the two members, lockingmembers located in said openings and biased to wedge between the twomembers, a third rotatable member havin projections adapted to move andhold sai locking members out of wedging ositions, and a lever device forcausing su cient relative movement of the third rotatable member and theintermittently operated member to move the locking members out oflocking positions.

In testimonywhereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. MURSCH.

Witnesses:

A. HERMAN Wnonnn. R. L. Krs'rnnn.

